


Emotional Discharge

by Dakoyone



Series: Tales from Alternative Ethics [1]
Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game)
Genre: Aftercare, Brothel Adventures, F/M, First Time, Half-orc, Jeremy is a sweetheart, Monk of the Long Death, Not Actual Sexytimes, Past Abuse, Past Brainwashing, Past Child Abuse, Past Torture, Sexual Foreplay, Sexual Tension, Violence, no wait I know why, virgin, why can't we ever make happy characters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-15
Updated: 2018-08-15
Packaged: 2019-06-27 19:57:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,895
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15692340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dakoyone/pseuds/Dakoyone
Summary: After Harper learns that Shay's never had sex and also may be interested in that half-orc bouncer at the Quivering Lily, Shay finds herself back at the brothel where she engages Mr. Jeremy Bonk in extremely awkward conversation followed by some weird slow dancing before they eventually make their way to a private booth for a good time...or so Shay hopes.





	Emotional Discharge

**Author's Note:**

  * For [codenamecynic](https://archiveofourown.org/users/codenamecynic/gifts), [Fionavar](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fionavar/gifts), [onemooncircles](https://archiveofourown.org/users/onemooncircles/gifts), [bettydice (BettyKnight)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BettyKnight/gifts).



> Well, this is exciting. 
> 
> Shayazi is a member of our Alternative Ethics DnD campaign, run by the beautiful and benevolent onemooncircles and joined by bettydice, codenamecynic, perahn, and myself. If you came here looking for well-developed character backstory and/or mid-campaign dramatic and meaningful personal excerpts, I mean...it may happen. If you came here for crackfic, look no further! 
> 
> This scene is the fade-to-black bit that happens after Harper, Katy, and Shay make their back to the Quivering Lily, a brothel in Waterdeep, for the bajillionth time (but also, Shay's first time) where Harper makes it his personal mission to get Shay laid. Shay's had a pretty shitty past; so please heed the warnings of past abuse and trauma as there are references to it mentioned here.
> 
> Also, shenanigans.

As soon as she felt separated enough from the rest of the common room, Shay exhaled slowly. Perhaps it was the alcohol? Or the atmosphere? Or Harper and Katy's crude and embarrassing but well-meaning gestures of encouragement? Whatever it was, the dull throbbing along the back of her skull - a common indicator of her self-control being tested - began to recede. She glanced up...and up...at Jeremy Bonk, who gazed down at her cautiously, as if trying to gauge her reaction now that they were in a cramped sex booth. They stood silently, the muffled voices and laughter through the door the only sign of time passing.

At length, Jeremy cleared his throat and waved his arm around the room. "I must again apologize for the, ehm, sparse accomodations. More fitting for the smaller folk, I reckon," he said with a small chuckle.

"Get many smaller folk requesting your company, do you?" Shay asked, letting her eyes wander over their surroundings. A small cot filled up the space of an entire wall - just long enough to fit Jeremy's tall frame...maybe, and a medium sized loveseat that probably wouldn't fit the both of them together - well, not side by side anyway - sat opposite the cot. Above her - almost at Jeremy's eye level - were three wall sconces, each of them emitting a soft dim light.  And above him was the ceiling, not two inches past his head.

"Oh, aye, lass," Jeremy smirked, "I am quite popular for, ah, obvious reasons." He stepped back and crossed his arms in such a way that his biceps and the  _ biceps  _ on his biceps flexed...powerfully.

It wasn't that Shay was unimpressed. Just the sheer amount of... _ specimen _ before her was enough to captivate her. But the poor girl had never been so flustered before; she barely knew how to respond. She figured laughing at a man's muscles was probably not the right reaction, yet she barely managed to cover her mouth in time to prevent it. Her shoulders still shook though - the traitorous things.

"You think it's funny, eh?" A look of mock shock crossed Jeremy's face as he stepped forward again into Shay's space but moved slowly enough so that she could refuse his proximity if she wanted to.

She didn't want to, which was the oddest feeling. Perhaps it was the fact that she was in a brothel...or the fact that this burly half-orc's attention was solely hers, but it all made her suddenly want to feel wicked.

"I would never," she grinned. Her breath quickened at his closeness as he practically curled himself around her, the wide expanse of his well-defined chest before her a sight hot enough to bring a bright, warm flush to her cheeks.

"Never met a woman who didn't swoon at the sight of these puppies, but I'll be honest with you, lass," the timbre of Jeremy's voice rumbled through her body as he leaned down to whisper in her ear, "I'm much more enamored by your lovely scars."

Shay hissed through her teeth as warm lips feathered across her cheek right along the ridge of the healed skin there. It was heady, this feeling...almost as if she was hovering on that fine line between life and death. "Clawed by a dire wolf," she found herself mumbling, "they hunted slaves in the aren--"

Her voice broke off in a gasp as Jeremy's lips took hers, and the thrill of intense  _ feeling _ rushed over her so fully that she soon found herself pressing into him and pawing at his arms with such  _ need _ ...she yearned to touch, to feel the muscles bunching under her fingers, her heart pounding against his, his rough hands kneading her flesh. She almost felt embarrassed, knowing that this was not at all suitable behavior for a servant of the Long Death. But that didn't matter as she soon found herself suspended in a singular moment when Jeremy leaned over and fell back onto the small loveseat with her in his lap. Their combined weight broke the flimsy thing of course, but they couldn't be arsed about it.

They broke the kiss with a loud smacking of lips, and she pressed her forehead against his, taking in shuddering breaths of air and noting how his breathing was only slightly less ragged. Her head spun. Her body tingled. Her skull throbbed, but she ignored it because this _...this _ was what desire felt like. To desire. To be desired.

And she wanted more.

Unfortunately skill was not on her side. She gazed up at Jeremy, pleased to see him appear as affected as she, and surged up to kiss him again. Only she misjudged the trajectory and ended up knocking their tusks together. The jolt of it rattled her skull, and the taste of blood in her mouth made it all worse as she curled up into him and groaned at her own stupidity.

"Ay, wicked lass, I didn't think ye'd bite!" Jeremy growled cheekily as he waited for the nerves in his mouth to settle. Shay snort giggled - a first for her - into his chest. "I hope it didn't ruin the mood for you."

Shay looked up, dizzy with such passion that made her smile look slightly loopy. "Not at all. I did tell you this was my first time."

"Aye, you did," Jeremy murmured, his voice soft as he gazed at her. His hand came up and brushed the hair from her face, "You truly are a lovely sight...Shay."

Shay's smile wavered, feeling uncharacteristically upset at his empty flattery.  "I'd like to believe you, but--"

"You don't have to believe me," Jeremy said, sliding his fingers under her chin and tilting her face back up to his gaze, "Not right now anyway. But I'd be more than happy to demonstrate just how lovely I think you are."

He leaned down again, and Shay stretched up to meet him - slower this time, but no less eager to continue. Jeremy hovered just above her lips, his hot breath tickling her face. "Whenever you want me to stop, I'll stop."

_ Don't stop.  _ Shay kissed him.

It was scalding hot, much more fiery than the monastery pits where the furnaces burned daily. Her hands grabbed fistfuls of his shirt on each side of him, his frame too wide for her to reach across his wide back. They parted for a fraction of a second - breaths mingling - just enough time for Jeremy to pull his shirt off and toss it into a corner. Shay soon found herself divested of her own tunic, inhaling sharply as the touch of his hands and arms and chest scorched her skin. She threw her head back with delight and released a shuddering moan as Jeremy licked and nipped along her apparently very sensitive neck.

But her pleasure was tempered by the curious touch of fingers sliding along the raised skin of her back. She hissed and immediately grabbed Jeremy's arm just below the elbow. "Don't look at it!" she pleaded in a loud whisper.

"I won't. Don't worry," he murmured back as he kissed her again, feeling her slowly beginning to relax in his arms once more as he let his hands fall to her hips instead.

Shay wondered at how considerate Jeremy was being. Up until now, he hadn't questioned her inexperience nor had he pressed on her insecurities. Was this...courting? No, perhaps he just pitied her, showering her with soft touches and softer words. It was his job, after all, to seduce his clients, and she felt the claws of his skill keenly. He wanted her to submit while under the guise of submitting to her. To make her yearn for him. As his paying customer. Nothing more.

The faint but lingering fragrance of black lotus drifted through her memory but faded soon after...unlike the dull ache slowly spreading through her head, filling her thoughts with shadow.

"Hey."

Shay blinked, startled and alert, "Bwuh?"

Jeremy smiled at her, his face tinged with concern, "Alright there, lass? I lost you for a moment."

"I-I'm fine!" Too bright. Too false. He's onto her. He knows. HE KNOWS.

But it seemed he fell for it. "Well then!" With a twinkle in his eye, Jeremy slid his arms under her and lifted her up, and she  _ squawked  _ (but she would never admit to it), clutching onto his shoulders like a lifeline. He laid her on the cot, his weight settling comfortably over hers. "There," he said smugly, "I'm less likely to look now with you pressed against the mat like this."

It took a moment for Shay to realize he was referring to her earlier discomfort when he touched her back. She blinked, "You surprise me."

"You don't know the half of it, lovey," Jeremy said, nuzzling her nose before kissing her once more, and headache be damned but Shay couldn't remember why she was so afraid of this. Perhaps not fear, really. She knew something was holding her back, but what? And why?

Somehow she found she no longer cared. It didn't matter anymore, not while she bathed in heightened sensation and ecstasy. For all the grim secrets she carried about death and dying - the study of life and life through death - never had she felt more alive than in this moment.

Then Jeremy's shorts came off.

"Oh, my."

Shay had seen her fair share of penises, most of them limp while their attached bodies writhed in fatal agony or seized before their last moments. But never had she seen one so...so... _ majestic _ . Ballads could be sung of this man's penis, and they would hardly do it justice. The longer she stared, the more she wondered. Then the organ suddenly twitched and bobbed a little, which Shay understood was just Jeremy's pelvic muscles doing...pelvic muscley things.

Still, she couldn't help herself. She cackled.

It was loud, unnecessarily so. She tried muffling it behind her hand, but her efforts were useless. Jeremy made shushing sounds at her in vain, muttering, "Not so loud, Shay. Ahh, now you've gone and made 'im sad." He sighed at the sight of his semi-limp dick, shaking his hips a little just to see it wag, which only made Shay laugh even harder.

"I'm sorry," Shay wheezed. "It's just that I've never...it's so..." She poked the shaft a few times with her finger just to see it bounce back. "It's like a punching bag almost."

"You really know how to make a man feel speci--ooh!" Jeremy dropped his head on Shay's shoulder as she grasped his length in hand without warning.

"It's soft," Shay murmured, "I didn't expect it to be so soft." She didn't expect the organ to spring back to life so suddenly either. It was an intriguing discovery, one she considered worth further study.

"Not so scary after all, is it?" she heard mumbled against the side of her neck. Jeremy lifted his head and smiled, slightly strained at the edges as he fought for control against the urge to rut against her hand. "Letting go, that is?"

A sharp pain pierced her skull. How did he know? Did everyone feel uncertain their first time? Was it just her? Was he reading her mind like Khem sometimes did? Did he know the secrets she carried?  _ Did he know??? _

It didn't matter. What would he do with her secrets anyway? He didn't seem the type interested in joining the Order...or trading her secrets for gold. He was a professional companion. It was his job to read people and see to their comforts. That was all. Shay took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly, "I'm sorry. Shall we continue?" She stroked him once, twice. It was a natural movement, one that didn't require much instruction.

"Oh, aye. We shall," Jeremy's smile curled into a smirk as his voice deepened to a low growl. He pumped a few times into her hand, reveling in the feeling of her calloused fingers on his sensitive flesh. "Are you ready, lass?"

Shay wasn't sure what she should be ready for, but she nodded anyway, her curiosity overriding all other thought for the time being.

"Are you sure now? Shall I check?"

Shay snorted, "How are you going to tell how ready I am? It's not like--oh. Ohhhh!"

Very few could rival the smug smirk on Jeremy's face at that moment, except for maybe Harper. But Shay was not thinking of Harper at all, could not think of anything other than the beautiful half-orc male descending on her body, laying gentle kisses against the scars on her chest and belly, and pulling her trousers down her hips, down her knees, and further. This was happening. This was really, really happening. And she could punch herself for just realizing it now. This was it. She started at the bottom, and...well, she's still the bottom, but that's a different kind of bottom. And oh, his fingers on her thighs and his breath just... _ there _ . Sweet skies, this was it! This was...

Something shattered. It was frightening and bestial and made her heart pound wildly in her chest.

Shay's vision darkened at the corners, and the sweet odor of that vicious herb flooded her senses mercilessly. She bucked off a bewildered Jeremy and flipped backward, pressing herself against the wall. Her breath grew ragged, and her eyes darted from side to side in sheer panic. She was alone in the room. She was  _ not _ alone. A giant green viper slithered up, its beady eyes focused on her. Its forked tongue flicked out, scenting the air as it drew nearer and nearer. Shay crouched low in the dirt, muscles tensed and adrenaline pumping through her veins, ready to spring. To fight. To survive.

The pain in her skull grew to dizzying levels of intensity that blurred her vision. Sister Ella sat in the opposite corner, fanning the small incense burner. Shay watched the smoke tendrils rising into the air, the only clear thing in sight. A fuzzy image of a tall, grey-skinned guard stood beside Sister Ella.

"Paj," Shay forced through gritted teeth, "but...I killed you."

The viper's face appeared frighteningly close to her own, and she immediately lashed out, swinging wildly with her arms, ducking under its legs, and pouncing on its wide back. She clawed at the scales there - strangely soft, more like flesh. She clamped down on its shoulder with the strength of her orcish heritage behind blunt human teeth.  Suddenly she found herself flipped over and shoved against the ground. Still she fought - legs kicking, nails raking, and hands jabbing at vital and nonvital points alike.

Paj was calling her. Begging her. Save me, Shay! Stop this, Shay! Stop it, Shay! "... _ STOP IT, SHAY! _ "

It was like speeding through a tunnel made out of light and nothingness and waking up to only to discover that the Shay she knew was not a person at all, just a persona. But those were dangerous and treacherous thoughts, and she knew the price she'd pay if her masters ever discovered it. Her eyes darted around the now destroyed room. There were dents in the walls. The cot had broken into three parts, and the loveseat stood battered beyond repair. Glass dug into her back; cuts and scrapes stung both her arms.

Then she looked up at the person pinning her on the ground. Jeremy's face was an absolute wreck. His right eye had begun to swell and color. Tiny but fairly deep scratches decorated his face, shoulders, and arms, and Shay noted that they were spaced just far enough to fit her own fingers and nails. She took a deep breath, a lot shakier than she would have liked and glanced up when Jeremy sighed.

"No one ever did right by you, did they?" The look in his eyes was so tender and so very sad.

Shay wanted to scream, to cry, to rage against the universe, but she was too weak and too drained to do anything but stare at the other half-orc. She wanted to apologize, to cower, to make it all go away - to go back in time and keep herself from losing control. The elders warned her, they did. They did a great many things to shackle her instincts. Better to be silent than to wreak havoc in the monastery. A feral orc was a dead orc in their eyes. A mindless beast. And beasts were slaughtered in the arena. She was not going back to the arena. She was not a beast.

"Aye, I know, lass," Jeremy groaned as he sat up and held out a hand for her. "Really saps your strength, doesn't it?"

Shay really didn't want to get up. She didn't want to move. Honestly, if she could get a strong drink funneled through a tube straight into her mouth while she lay there, that would be perfect. But Jeremy's hand was still there, and she did do quite a number on him. It was only fair... So she grasped his hand and let him haul her up, except that sitting up hurt as much as she thought it would.

"Here," Jeremy said, propping her on the less damaged side of the broken loveseat. He squatted down in front of her, peering at her face. "Shay," he said, making sure he had her attention, "You're cut up pretty badly back there. May I see it?"

A tremor started from Shay's fingers, and she clenched her hands tightly before it could extend further. "It's not serious, nothing to trouble yourself--"

"Shay." If Jeremy saw her flinch, he made no comment about it, but he did sigh and place his large hands on her arms, his thumbs stroking soft circles on her skin. A beat of silence sat heavily between them, during which Shay noticed that Jeremy had spoken in a voice slightly higher pitched but still pleasantly rumbly. It was also less accented and less forced - almost as if he had broken away from his seduction act. But...when did it happen?

"Is there anyone who can look at it for you?"

Shay tuned out her meaningless musings and gave the question a moment's thought. Certainly not Harper or Katy. If they saw what she tried so hard to hide, there would be questions, and she wasn't ready - or drunk enough - for questions. And Khem was back at the inn, which... It wasn't that Shay told her anything about it. She figured the Wizard simply drew it from her thoughts and memories at some point in their travels. Still...the likelihood of her leaving this establishment or entering the inn without either of her two companions noticing the injury seemed highly unlikely.

She thinned her lips and shook her head once. Then she slowly reached her trembling hands up behind her and drew her messy hair over one shoulder. She couldn't look at Jeremy now; she didn't want him to see just how vulnerable she felt at this moment. She heard as he stood up, careful to move only as slowly as she did, and circled around to her back. If he gave any indication that she was a grotesque thing or sneered at her inferior status, she would bolt out the door in a heartbeat.

Instead, the lightest touch of...something kind caressed the nape of her neck - like a feather or...his lips. "You're right. It looks worse than it actually is. I'd still like to clean it for you just in case," Jeremy told her gently before standing and abruptly leaving the room.

Shay blinked. Was that it?

She contemplated making her exit as well, standing up slowly and inching her way over to her discarded tunic. Just then, the door slid open again, and Jeremy caught her frozen mid-action. He raised an eyebrow questioningly, "And just where do you think you're going, lass?"

"N-nowhere," Shay stammered, sitting back down on her perch like a scolded child.  _ What was even happening? _ "I thought...you'd gone."

"To get bandages...?"

The tall man held up the handful of rolled cloths and healing balm for her to see before positioning himself behind her once more, which allowed Shay to wear her bemused expression freely on her face. He didn't run, and he wasn't disgusted. He sat behind her treating her wounds, even after she apparently mauled him like some wild animal. Why were things so different outside of Thay?

"These scars...were you flogged?"

Not seeing his face as he spoke to her helped a little.

"Yes," she said simply, wondering at how easily the word slipped off her tongue.

"There are many of them."

A bitter laugh. "I was flogged often."

"Why?"

_ I wouldn't submit. _

Silence. Only the rustling of cloth strips and the sensation of soothing salve on her back indicated the passage of time. Until...

"Are these words?"

A large and calloused but gentle finger traced the black ink symbols etched on her skin, a sharp contrast from the needles that first branded her there. Jeremy didn't trace the full symbols with his finger. He couldn't. Most of them were broken up by the intricate web of scars on her back. Shay wrapped her arms around herself, clutching her elbows so tightly her knuckles turned white.

"Slave markings," she said, her voice no louder than a whisper.

Shay hoped Jeremy knew better than to ask, and - to her great surprise - he didn't. He quickly finished wrapping the worst of the cuts, deftly and neatly tucking in the folds on the cloth, and stood, collecting the leftover wrappings. "I'll just go put these back, and then--"

"Let me treat your wounds too," Shay said suddenly, grabbing Jeremy's hand as he stood up. "Please." It was the least she could do to repay him for his silence.

"Naw, lass, don't you worry about that," Jeremy said. Then he smirked, rubbing his hand along his handsome jaw, "'sides, it adds to the rugged look. Some people are into that."

He winked at her, but Shay just blinked right back. "I clawed your face."

"I like 'em feisty." He chortled at her baffled, blushing face as he exited the booth once more.

Shay then took that time to survey the room, wincing at the broken furniture and the torn, tacky wallpaper. Two of the wall lamps still hung on the wall, but one had definitely seen better days. The third lamp was probably the shattered bits of metal and glass on the ground that retaliated in its final death throes. If only Master Chauncy could see her now, wreaking havoc across the entire coast "like the little she-devil she was". He'd burst an aneurysm, and he'd deserve it too, the sniveling  _ smeg _ . Shay propped the cushions precariously back onto the limp mat in a weak attempt to "fix" the mess. She also tried to stick a candle back in its wall socket, but the entire sconce instantly slipped off its hinge.

"Oh,  _ shit _ !" Shay fumbled to catch the thing just as the door slid open and closed again. "Oh, balls, I'm sorry! I'll pay for  _ all _ the damages here, I swear--- _ whaaaaat  _ are those?"

The wall sconce clattered to the ground as Shay unconsciously dropped the poor thing and pointed accusingly at what looked like a beautifully arranged bundle of about a dozen blood red roses delicately cradled in Jeremy's arms.

"Oh, uhm..." The tall half-orc scratched his neck nervously. "Well! Truthfully, I wasn't sure if you would like flowers. Most lassies like flowers, but...you study dying things for a living. So perhaps flowers weren't my best idea, but that didn't occur to me until I was already here."

Jeremy's nervous stammering was sweet. And it was sweet that he remembered what she did...granted she only just told him about her profession a little over an hour ago. It was also just a very sweet gesture...the flowers and all. Just so sweet. Shay didn't quite know what to do with sweet. What would Harper say?  _ Just be your lovely, charming self. _ Ugh.

She gently pried the bouquet out of Jeremy's arms and plucked a single petal from one of the blossoms. "Did you know that rose petals are used to treat digestive disorders and to relieve pain from injuries and menstrual irregularities?" She then popped the petal into her mouth, demonstrating that they were indeed edible.

To which Jeremy responded by ripping an entire bloom off its stem and stuffing the entire thing in his mouth. He chewed for a little while, nodding contemplatively before he faced Shay's look of shock and disbelief - but mostly disbelief. "What?" he asked around the bits of red sticking to his teeth. "It's not like you or I had anything to eat out there, right? Unless you...did you eat the sex nuts?"

"W-what? No!" Shay sputtered. She impulsively -and very,  _ very  _ foolishly - ripped off a blossom of her own and shoved it in between her teeth because she refused to lose. Except...it was  _ bitter _ , and she tried so hard not to make a face revealing her disgust, but...

Jeremy guffawed at her look of unadulterated betrayal, bending over to clutch his stomach when she mumbled "You tricked me" around a mouthful of now spit-coated blossom bits. He expected retribution, of course, but not in the form of this small half-orc launching herself at him, fistfuls of crushed rose petals rubbing harshly against his face as her muffled voice cried out, "Here! 's good for your skin too!"

Soon they were both grappling each other amidst raucous laughter, completely ruining the carefully wrapped bandages on Shay's back, and destroying what little was left to destroy in the tiny room. His face stung from the floral assault, but he paid it no mind. His focus remained solely on Shay and her pure, untroubled laugh. He knew the look of fear and panic that she displayed earlier, recognized it from his own childhood. But he did not care at all to see her fear turn into one of self-loathing as if she had been taught to believe her emotions were foul and unnatural - that her rage was a separate beast, only suited behind her mental barriers and strong will. There was a story behind her self-control - one he wasn't sure he wanted to know, but he would do what he could now to take her mind off of it.

At the end of their impromptu spar, Shay had Jeremy pressed up against the wall, her eyes twinkling in glee at her triumph as they both gasped for air. "I let you win," Jeremy protested playfully.

"Of course you did."

"Now you have me at a disadvantage, m'lady," he said, his voice soft and unhurried. "Would you like to pick up where we left off?" He gazed at her, carefully noting her every reaction, but when she shook her head slowly - and apologetically, he smiled gently with complete understanding and appreciation for her honesty. "Would you say you're satisfied with your time here then?"

Shay pressed him a bit more against the wall, to further emphasize her victory. "I believe I am."

"I'm glad."

"And you?" Shay asked, a look of uncertainty creeping into her eyes before she dropped her gaze to a vague point on his chest, "Did I...? Were you put off by my...outburst?"

Jeremy exhaled sharply, suddenly angry but not at Shay. He took a deep breath, calming his temper before she sensed it and mistook it for what it truly wasn't. Then he gently tapped her chin with his knuckles, coaxing her to look up at him, "There is nothing wrong with losing control, and we are not lesser for it." He paused, wanting so badly to say,  _ Whoever taught you to suppress your instincts are the true monsters _ , but it didn't seem like the right moment. Perhaps he'd tell her later...if there was a later. "But for now, know that your secrets are safe with me. Half-orc's honor."

A slow smile crept up Shay's face. She huffed a soft chuckle because it was silly - a promise made between half-orcs based on nothing except their outcast race. But somehow, she believed him anyway because... Just the way he approached her "episode" so cautiously - almost as if he'd once been similarly afraid of losing control and shared her shame - even if it wasn't  _ quite  _ the same, showed her that he was a kindred spirit. In this, at least, she knew she could trust him.

"By the way," Shay hummed, reached around behind Jeremy and pulled out the large, glass bottle he'd somehow stuffed in his back pocket. "Were you holding out on me, Bonk?"

"Ahh, you found me out. I guess I'll have to share the bottle with you then," Jeremy sighed melodramatically, reaching out for the bottle, but Shay danced nimbly out of reach.

"Nooo, you don't," she said, plopping herself down on the now broken and mostly deflated mat. "I've never had champagne before, and I've always wanted to try this."

She untwisted the wire harness carefully and pressed her thumb against the cork gently, applying just a little bit of pressure. And the cork flew up and across the room, knocking the last remaining wall sconce off its hinge which then shattered on the floor.

"Ahh, fuck."

 


End file.
